Bouncer
Bouncers were the native sentient species of Ruusan. Globe-like creatures, they received their name from their method of locomotion: propelled by the wind, they bounced themselves off obstacles to reach great heights. Their bodies were covered in green fur, and numerous tentacles grew from their body, of which half ended in delta shaped appendages capable of digging and writing in the ground. The Bouncers' homeworld was the location of a great battle between the forces of the Army of Light and the Brotherhood of Darkness during the New Sith Wars. The Bouncers tried to ease the struggles of both sides, bringing support and comfort to the dying using their mild telepathic abilities. When the conflict ended with Lord Kaan unleashing the thought bomb, trapping the spirits of hundreds of Jedi and Sith inside, the Bouncers maintained a prophecy that "a Knight would come, a battle would be fought, and the prisoners go free." The Bouncers helped fulfill the prophecy when they guided the Jedi Kyle Katarn to the planet's Valley of the Jedi over a thousand years later. A Bouncer was also responsible for the survival of Rain, who went on to become the Sith Lord Darth Zannah. Biology & Appearance The Bouncers were a species of sentient beings native to the planet Ruusan. They were shaped like medicine balls, and they appeared rather fragile. Their internal physiology was balloon-like, resulting in negligible weight. Their skin was leathery and warm and dry to the touch. They appeared only as green blobs when viewed under infra-red. Their skin was covered in green hair, which fluttered in the Ruusan breezes. Dominating the Bouncers' faces were two enormous luminous eyes. These had large pupils which were especially good for gathering light due to the species' nocturnal nature. Bouncers had no visible nose or mouth. From these globe shaped bodies, the Bouncers had numerous tentacles, half of which ended in delta shaped appendages. These functioned efficiently as small digging tools. The Bouncers were able to "walk" along the ground with these tentacles and could stand on them when gathered together. These tentacles were very dexterous and were used by the Bouncers to manipulate items, such as styluses. When bouncing, these tentacles often drifted behind, giving them a ghostly appearance. The Bouncers' primary method of locomotion relied on the wind. Due to their balloon-like bodies and negligible weight, they were easily carried by the winds. They were able to control their momentum and direction via specialized skin flaps that functioned as wind vanes. By turning, raising, and lowering these flaps, the Bouncers were able to control their direction. They aimed themselves at oncoming obstacles such as stones or boulders, and in this manner "bounced;" hence their name. Using that technique, they could achieve heights up to fifty or sixty meters. The larger Bouncers were even able to carry extra weight without it affecting their momentum. Through a combination of manipulation of their tentacles and friction against the sand, the Bouncers were able to brake. They then used their tentacles to anchor themselves to the ground against the winds. In that manner, tribes of Bouncers traveled across the plains and wastelands of Ruusan, tacking and wheeling as a group. Bouncers also enjoyed using their tentacles to climb large rock spurs, from which they flung themselves into the void, floating until gravity drew them to the ground. Their motion was considered by some to be dance-like, and for Morgan Katarn, epitomized freedom. While it is unclear whether the Bouncers were able to manipulate the Force, they were clearly able to feel it, and their presence did send out ripples through the Force. The Force also frequently gave them dreams and glimpses of the future. These were highly accurate, in both predicting the immediate future and more distant events. When passing on these oracles, however, they couched them in vague riddles and generalities. The dreams also incurred a cost; weak Bouncers could be killed by dark dreams. Society & Culture The Bouncers' society maintained largely unchanged over the thousands of years of their existence. In 4 ABY, they still had a pre-industrial society, only numbering between 18,000 to 20,000 individuals. These were organized into tribes of around fifty to sixty, with an older Bouncer as leader. The Bouncers lived in the mountainous areas of their planet, and did not roam the deserts as was common for the Ruusanians. While Ruusan was once a temperate world with vast forests, after the explosion of Lord Kaan's thought bomb, the planet was largely arid wastelands. As such, the Bouncers made some adaptations to their behavioral patterns. Water became much scarcer as a consequence. To offset that, each morning, the Bouncers dug a series of shallow depressions into which they placed an inverted cone. These depressions were then covered with a thin, semitransparent tissue. These functioned as water stills, condensing moisture in the air and gathering it in the cone. In that manner, a supply of water awaited the Bouncers when they emerged at night. The Bouncers developed a number of herbal medicines and natural remedies for maladies they suffered. History The Bouncers evolved on the planet Ruusan as the sole sentient species. The planet was eventually discovered by the Galactic Republic and as part of a wave of expansion throughout the newborn Teraab sector, it was settled by the Mining Guild. Deposits of iron, copper, cesium, iridium, nickel, and uranium dotted the planet, but proved to be less significant as those of neighboring planets such as Drogheda, Istic II, Pesmenben IV, and Tyne's Horky. As such, it was only sparsely settled, and the Bouncers co-existed peacefully with the various miners, farmers, and trappers. The planet gained unexpected importance during the New Sith Wars when it took on symbolic importance. Victory for the Sith would represent their inevitable advance, while liberation by the Republic would represent the Jedi's ability to defeat their sworn foes. That resulted in seven great battles on Ruusan, and innumerable skirmishes. The Bouncers did not take sides in the fight, but rather offered their unique assistance to both sides. Gifted with mild telepathy, the Bouncers visited the aftermaths of the battles, and projected images of succor and comfort to the surviving wounded. They became a welcome and familiar sight to both sides, as they aided in healing. However, that changed when the Sith forces began to use powerful dark side rituals to defeat the Jedi forces. Led by Darth Bane, the Sith unleashed an unnatural firestorm that destroyed huge swathes of forest, killing many Jedi in its flames, and forcing the others into exposed ground. The effect on the Bouncers was devastating. The raging fires killed most, and those that survived were driven mad by the cataclysm. Their ability to comfort was horribly distorted. They began to project terror, panic, and terrible nightmares to the sick and wounded. The Jedi were forced to kill the tormented beings in order to maintain their own morale. Only one Bouncer was spared the madness: Laa. Earlier, the old Bouncer had saved the life of a small Human girl. The girl, Rain, was a recruit for the Army of Light, but never reached them when the starship she was on was damaged by Sith Buzzards. Rain fell many meters from the ship, before Laa caught her in mid-air. Rain proved to be very strong in the Force, and instinctively protected Laa from the Sith firestorm. Laa's decision had significant consequences for the future of the Sith. In numerous prophetic dreams, Laa foresaw Rain becoming a powerful dark Jedi. Laa carried Rain on her back for many days until they came across some Jedi forces. Seeing only the Bouncer, the Jedi Petja shot and killed Laa. Instinctively, Rain responded, using the Force to snap the necks of the two Jedi. Ultimately, it was Laa's death that triggered Rain's turn to the dark side. The grieving child was found by Darth Bane, who took her as his apprentice. She eventually became Darth Zannah, a Dark Lord of the Sith. The larger conflict between the Jedi and Sith was concluded when Lord Kaan utilized another Sith ritual, known as the thought bomb. It created a receptacle for the dark side, which when detonated, sucked the spirits of all the proximate Jedi and Sith within its bounds. It effectively destroyed the Sith forces and large numbers of the Jedi force also, bringing an end to the war on Ruusan. The total effect on the Bouncers of the conflict was devastating. So many were killed by the indiscriminate Sith fires, the Jedi forces, and the thought bomb, that the species was pushed to the edge of extinction. Those that did survive were also faced with a different world, for the thought bomb had desolated much of the planet, transforming it into wastelands. Two of the Bouncers who did survive found Rain's cousin Darovit in the aftermath of these battles, speaking directly to his mind and strengthening his will to live after his hand was amputated. They led him to food and medical supplies, so that he could dress his wound and stave off infection. Over the next ten years, the Bouncers developed a particular fascination with Darovit. They taught him their herbal lore, and when he settled down in a hut, two or three Bouncers always circled his hut during the day and ventured out with him whenever he traveled. One such Bouncer was Yuun, who was accompanying Darovit when he discovered the Republic had returned to Ruusan in order to construct a monument to their fallen. Darovit tried to sabotage the project but to no avail. He eventually fought his cousin in a deadly duel, when Rain returned to the planet as a Sith Lord. The Republic monument became known as the Valley of the Jedi. Huge statues were erected of the fallen Jedi, as well as numerous tombs. While the memorial was popular for a time, within a decade the bickering Republic began to forget it. However, the Bouncers also made a record of these events, in what they called the "Poem of Ages." The poem included a number of prophecies, including one regarding the Valley of the Jedi. The prophecy foretold of a Jedi Knight who would come to the planet, fight a battle, and free the prisoners trapped within the thought bomb. They preserved the prophecy for nearly a thousand years in which time it was also recorded offworld. Famous Bouncers *Floater *Laa *Yuun RPG D6 Stats Homeworld: Ruusan Attribute Dice: 12D DEXTERITY 2D/4D KNOWLEDGE 2D/4D MECHANICAL 2D/4D PERCEPTION 2D/4D STRENGTH 2D/4D TECHNICAL 2D/4D Special Abilities: Flight: Flight is created through the use of wind currents and then bouncing themselves off of objects to gain altitude for continued flight. Telepathy: Bouncers possess telepathic skills similar to the Jedi abilities of Receptive Telepathy and Projective Telepathy. They use their Perception skills as the base for the abilities. Story Factors: Mythical Creatures: Most people in the Star Wars universe are unaware of the continued existence of this species as the location of their planet was erased from the Republic's Hyperspace databases. Move: 10/12 Size: 1-2 meters in diameter Category:Species